Kirk Eugene Saunders

Kirk Eugene Saunders was born in Sargent’s Bluff, Iowa on June 1, 1947. His parents were Eugene and Luella (Pedersen) Saunders. As a boy he lived in a small farmhouse with his parents, 3 older sisters, Shirley (deceased), Karen Oster (Rick), and Janet Kerns (Terry), and his younger brother Elliotte (Tina). He had a lifelong passion for anything mechanical. As a teenager he loved speed. His claim to fame in the Jackson, Nebraska Newspaper was that he was ticketed for driving over 100 mph in his shiny new Ford Fairlane. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in Korea. It was while in the Air Force, that his next passion was ignited – Flying. He once landed his small plane in a field in rural Jackson.

He married Kathy Ludwig. They had two children, Lisa and Chad. Shortly after Chad was born the young family moved to Colorado Springs, CO where Kirk worked at Daniel’s Chevrolet. Ever the entrepreneur, he opened up his first “shop.” He contracted with Coca Cola to fix their delivery trucks. As his business grew, so did his collection. He needed a bigger shop. He moved his business to 331 S. Chestnut where he stayed for over 30 years fixing his own diesel trucks as well others’. The state bought his land and he relocated his shop to Penrose, Colorado. He had finished working on trucks by then, but it was like a museum for his collection.

Through his sister, Karen, he met and married Patt Bakke, March of 1998. They remained married for 22 years.

Lisa is married to Dale and has three adult children, Corey, Kyle and Kaitlyn. Chad is married to Christian and they have 2 year old twins, Sebastion Luis and Vincent Nicholas.

Kirk passed away, suddenly, June 26, 2020 in their home. He is loved and will be missed by his many friends and family.